Victor Wembanyama needs to start playing to his strengths

If you're a person who judges a player's performance by the box score, sure, Wembanyama had yet another terrific game. But if you watched the game, you'd concede that the Frenchman took too many ill-advised jump shots, specifically from deep, when he could have been more aggressive in getting to the paint, especially in the fourth quarter.

Wemby shot 2-of-9 from three on Monday night, just two nights after going 1-of-7 from distance against Minnesota. He is shooting a mediocre 22 percent from three this season.

The percentage wouldn't negatively impact the Spurs if he attempted only a few threes, but he's a volume shooter who fires 7.1 threes a game. For context, he is attempting more threes than career sharpshooters such as Donte DiVincenzo (6.9) and Bradley Beal (6.4) and other star guards such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6.6) and De'Aaron Fox (6.7).  

It's not just threes. Wemby is shooting a subpar 6-of-18 from mid-range, including 4-of-18 from all shots between 16-24 feet. 

Now, compare those numbers to his percentages from less than 8 feet (26-of-37 at 70.3%), and 10-14 feet (4-of-6 at 66.7%) and you'll realize why he isn't playing to his strengths.

Sorry, but that's not high-IQ basketball. 

If Wembanyama committed to dominating the rim, he'd be way more unstoppable and perhaps give the Spurs a chance to win close games. During Monday's loss, for example, he had the chance to cut the deficit to one with 6:09 left with a wide-open driving lane. Instead, he took an awkward 18-foot jumper contested by a smaller James Harden. 

In the age of analytics, you've got to play the percentages, and it's baffling that nobody from the Spurs organization has urged Wemby to cut down on his threes. Last week, ESPN's Richard Jefferson had a similar take on the Spurs sophomore's proclivity for jump shots. 

"Get him in that free throw line, get him in those elbow areas," Jefferson urged the Spurs. "Face up, because they can't touch you. The thing with guys like Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki is they were 40 percent shooters from three despite being 7-footers. He has to improve his shooting percentage...His advantage is not out there [on the perimeter]. Yes, we can all be in awe of a 7-foot-5 guy that can handle it like a point guard. That doesn't mean it's an advantage."

Through seven games, Wemby is averaging 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and a career-high 3.9 blocks. The Spurs are 3-4.